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Waiters is the likely frontrunner for starting duties at shooting guard for the Heat this season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Though he appeared to miscalculate teams' interest in him in free agency this summer and was forced to settle for a one-year, $2.9 million contract after most of the top shooting guards had come off the board, Waiters at least has a chance to rehabilitate his market value in a wide-open situation in Miami. With the Heat losing Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng in free agency and not expected to have Chris Bosh (blood clots) available this season, there's at least three starting jobs up for grabs and plenty of minutes to go around, particularly at the two wing spots. As a former No. 4 overall pick who has flashed some ability as a scorer during his stints with the Cavaliers and Thunder, Waiters profiles as one of the more intriguing options in an underwhelming group of wings that includes Justise Winslow, who is projected to start at either small forward or power forward, Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington, Tyler Johnson and Luke Babbitt. Don't expect Waiters' efficiency to improve in Miami, but he shouldn't have trouble surpassing the 9.8 points per game he averaged last season while often serving as no better than the Thunder's third option offensively whenever he was on the court.
